Titanfall 2 gets open test weekends for Aug

Respawn Entertainment’s Titanfall 2 releases in just over a month and, in today’s gaming landscape, that means open beta season. Gamers on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will get to do just that on August 19-21 and 26-28, with first-hand access to new map modes and Titans.

Here’s a breakdown of the new content featured:

Bounty Hunt – A 5v5 mode that has players fighting both the opposing team and the Remnant Fleet in waves. However, points only count if you deposit them at the bank without getting killed.

Amped Hardpoint – Essentially a 6v6 Domination mode, except defending a Hardpoint now lets you amp it for double the score.

Boomtown – A map set in a secret underground IMC facility with peaked roofs and tight lanes through the middle.

Homestead – As its name suggests, this map sports large rolling fields mixed with cover in the form of rocks, trees, buildings and caves.

Forward Base Kodai – Map set in an IMC substation, where Pilots can run and ninja their way through hallways and chambers of the main building while Titans stomp on the roof overhead.

Ion – A titan that puts the focus on energy management. Its primary weapon is the Splitter Rifle, a rapid single-fire energy rifle with burst-fire capabilities. It packs a shoulder-mounted Laser Shot, Tripwire mines, and a Vortex Shield to absorb and redirect enemy fire. The Laser Core special ability fires an oversized laser beam from its chest.

Scorch – A defense-oriented Titan with a penchant for fire. It wields the single-shot T-203 Thermite Launcher as its primary weapon, supported by a literal Firewall, Incendiary Traps, and a Thermal Shield that handily deals damage to nearby enemies. The Flame Core special ability creates a giant wave of fire.

Amped Hardpoint and Forward Base Kodai will only be available for the second beta weekend (Aug 26-28).

Of course, all that is on top of the new set of Pilot abilities as well as new weapons such as the Mastiff shotgun and Alternator dual-barrel SMG.

Players will also get to try out the new Network group feature, described as a home base for easy matchmaking and chat.

How to get in

It’s an open test so everyone gets a shot. On Aug 19, simply search for “Titanfall 2” in the respective Xbox and PlayStation stores and download the “Titanfall 2 Multiplayer Tech Test.” Major Nelson states that Xbox Live Gold will be required so, in all likelihood, a PS Plus membership will be too.

What about PC

While Titanfall 2 will release on PC, Respawn are skipping the platform entirely for their technical test. Founder and CEO Vince Zampella addressed this in a separate note, saying that they aren’t ready for multiple hardware configurations just yet.

“We’re still making a lot of tweaks and changes to the renderer, the game, and effects so we haven’t run the game through the hardware compatibility lab yet to detect and handle a large variety of hardware – video cards, CPUs etc. Quite frankly, we aren’t ready to deal with that yet, we are still making the game better.”

He also cites data mining as a concern since Titanfall 2 has a single-player mode, a first for the series.

Nonetheless, Zampella says he is confident for the PC release and that this stress test allows them to concentrate on the actual matter at hand: server stability and scalability.

We’ve seen games make great leaps with their subsequent releases – Assassin’s Creed and Destiny comes to mind – so Titanfall 2 may be the second wind Respawn Entertainment seeks.

The game launches worldwide on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 28 October.